


The Potter-Malfoy School of Patronus Licensing and Identification

by AhaMarimbas



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco also likes to swear, Draco hates his job, Gen, Original Character(s), Patronus, working together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 02:22:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16296455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AhaMarimbas/pseuds/AhaMarimbas
Summary: The Potter-Malfoy School of Patronus Licensing and IdentificationUnit 69 B, 303 Diagon AlleyOpen Monday to Saturday, 8am to 4pmPlease floo for all queries or to schedule private instruction.





	The Potter-Malfoy School of Patronus Licensing and Identification

**Author's Note:**

> All characters and patronuses from the Harry Potter universe belong to J.K. Rowling.
> 
> Written for the many animals running around the discord drabble challenge this month. You're all amazing!

Draco sighed as he walked across training room 3, clipboard at the ready. He dodged what looked like a niffler, but was actually a platypus. For the fifth time that day, he questioned why he knew that, before looking up at all the patronuses and their owners crowding his workplace.

 

Draco was one of the supposedly lucky souls who were gifted with a photographic memory. He never failed to depress himself thinking of how well he would have done as a magi-historian, or an arithmancer, or even a professor. And yet here he was,  _ identifying patronuses. _

 

It had sounded like a great idea at first, when Harry had proposed an entire academy dedicated to teaching witches and wizards how to conjure a corporeal patronus, and then identifying their exact animal for them. Thanks to his excellent memory for the various features of the animals of the world, Draco was in charge of the identification side of the business, while Harry trained people in how to conjure their patronus. 

 

“Number 57,” Draco called, tapping the board behind him with his wand, so that it reflected the number called. An over excited teenager ran up to him, stopping way too close for his comfort.

 

“Name?” he drawled.

 

“Analise Van Bommel! Can I show you my fox?” she asked excitedly.

 

“Odds are it’s not a fox, but go ahead and cast.” 

 

The girl frowned at Draco before drawing her wand, scrunching up her face and screaming “Expecto Patronum!”

 

As expected, it wasn’t a fox. Draco’s expression remained incredibly bored as he scribbled on his clipboard :  _ Coyote _ .

 

“Congratulations on your Coyote. You can return in a week’s time to collect your certificate of authentication. Thank you for choosing the Potter-Malfoy School of Patronus Licensing and Identification.”

 

“A coyote? That doesn’t sound very cute!”

 

Draco shrugged, tapping the board behind him again. 

 

“Number 58!”

 

Another teenager, this time a lanky boy, came shuffling up to the front.

 

“Name?”

 

“Andrew Banks.”

 

Draco nodded as he copied the name down.

 

“I don’t think I’m doing it right,” he sighed. “Can I sign up for more lessons with Mr. Potter? He said I was ready, but my patronus doesn’t look like anything.”

 

“Well give it a try, and if you can’t get it we can send you next door to talk to Harry.”

 

The boy raised his wand and cast. For a moment, Draco thought he was right, before realising what had happened.

 

“You’re doing it right, your animal is just a bit unusual looking.”

 

“What? It can’t be! I can’t have a… a blob as a patronus!”

 

“Well technically it’s a blobfish,” Draco pointed out.

 

“Oh merlin, the guys are gonna make so much fun of me! Can you change it Mr. Malfoy?”

 

Draco wanted desperately to bang his head on his clipboard. Or rather, to bang Andrew’s head on his clipboard.

 

“If you had paid a lick of attention in the classes, you would know that only deep emotional changes can affect your patronus.”

 

Draco didn’t even care about the disappointed look on the boy’s face anymore. He was very ready for his lunch break.

 

“Congratulations on your Blobfish. You can return in a week’s time to collect your certificate of authentication. Thank you for choosing the Potter- Malfoy school of Patronus Licensing and Identification.”

 

Draco had a hard time not rolling his eyes at his ending statement. As if there was anywhere else in the wizarding world that identified patronuses. No, he was the only idiot who did this job.

 

He was just about to tap the board again, when a familiar shout caught his attention. He turned around to find two very familiar patronuses racing around the room.

 

“Narwhal versus Dolphin Part three!”

 

“Speed demons- first one to 5 circles around uncle Draco wins!”

 

“Oh fuck no,” Draco groaned, apparating away on the spot. He landed with a pop in his and Harry’s shared office. Giving up, he flopped down onto their sofa. It was probably best to give Teddy and Arman some time to get bored and leave before returning to the chaos of training room three.

 

Draco cursed the day he had ever thought to introduce his mischevious cousin to Blaise’s devil child, Arman. The two were now inseparable, and caused mischief wherever they went. It was like the Weasley twins all over again.

 

Their most recent idea of a fun time had been invading Draco’s workplace and whipping out their patronuses, causing mayhem in the training rooms. The first time had been Narhwal vs. Dolphin Part I: As if you can beat me - I’ve got a sword. Harry had laughed it off, thinking it was a one time thing, but not even a week later they had returned for Narwhal vs. Dolphin Part II: Fuck your sword I’ve got a gun. Draco had absolutely no explanation for how Teddy had managed to conjure his patronus holding a gun (dolphins don’t even have hands!). Clearly Harry’s scolding hadn’t been effective amid his laughter, because here the idiots were again.

 

With a sigh, Draco pried himself off the sofa. He padded down the hall, sighing in relief when he found that his cousin and nephew had disappeared. He tapped the board again, calling for number 59. In an eerie turn of events, the room started to empty out, with the remaining clients moving away against the wall. With a resigned sigh, and elderly lady toddled up to Draco.

 

“I’m Mrs. Samantha Boggs. As you can see, I’ve got a skunk patronus.”

 

Draco was impressed. It wasn’t everyday people identified their patronus correctly.

 

“Yes you do,” he mumbled, scribbling once again on his clipboard. “Congratulations on your skunk. You may return in a week’s time to collect your certificate of authentication. Thank you for choosing the Potter-Malfoy School of Patronus Licensing and Identification.”

 

With a wave of her wand, the skunk disappeared and Mrs. Boggs toddled back out of the room.

 

“Hey! It looks pretty empty in here,” came Harry’s voice. “How about a lunch break?”

 

“Thank merlin,” Draco sighed, dropping his clipboard right where it was an apparating back to the sanctuary of his office. He had just reclined on the sofa again when Harry opened the door and walked in, clipboard in hand. 

 

“That wasn’t very professional Draco.” 

 

Draco didn’t even need to open his eyes to hear the frown in Harry’s voice.

 

“I don’t care. I’m so fed up of identifying fucking patronuses,” he moaned.

 

He felt the weight of Harry sitting down at the foot of the sofa.

 

“Having a bad day?” he asked gently.

 

“More like a bad forever. It’s just endless lines of surly teens who can’t be happy with their damn patronus, occasionally punctuated by your heathen of a godson who has nothing better to do with his life than cause mayhem in our school.”

 

“You know they’re just having fun with you Draco. But if it really bothers you that much, I’m sure I could talk to Teddy and Arman.”

 

Draco sat up with a sigh. “It’s not just them. I don’t feel like I’m enjoying any part of this job. I’m sorry,” he added at the look on Harry’s face. “I know you love this school, and I’m so happy for you. But you spend your day engaging people, teaching them how to create powerful magic. I disappoint them by repeating the same fucking three lines again and again all day.”

 

“Maybe we can switch it up?” Harry suggested. “Why don’t you take over the class for a bit, and I’ll do the identifications. Maybe we can alternate weeks or something, to keep things more exciting for you?”

 

Draco scoffed. “You wouldn’t know a capybara from a mink.”

 

“Actually, I think I would. I’ve learned about so many new animals that I never imagined existed. And I promise I’ll check the encyclopedia whenever I’m unsure. Come on Draco, switch with me.”

 

Draco stared down at his lap, fidgeting with his fingers. He didn’t know how to tell Harry what the real problem was. As Harry’s fingers found their way in between his, however, he suddenly found that tiny ounce of courage.

 

“It still wouldn’t work. I can’t teach people to cast a patronus.”

 

“Hey, everyone underestimates their teaching abilities until they try it. Just be honest with them about how you do it, and they’ll pick it up on their own time.”

 

Draco shook his head. “It’s not that. I can’t teach… because I’ve never cast a patronus myself.”   


 

He didn’t dare look up. What if Harry was laughing at him. The co-founder of England’s only patronus school, and he couldn’t even cast a patronus. What a joke.

 

“Draco,” Harry said gently. “Is that why you never told me what your patronus was? Because you don’t know?”

 

Draco nodded, feeling even worse to find tears running down his cheeks. In for a knut, in for a galleon, he supposed.

 

“It’s just so frustrating to see so many others looking so happy to have discovered what their patronus is, while I’m standing there  _ knowing _ that I can’t do it.”

 

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. It takes everyone ages to get it right- you know the average course sequence lasts 4 months. You just need some time to practise.”

 

“I’ve tried. I spent weeks practicing while I was cooped up in the manor during the war, and I could never get it to work.”

 

“What memory were you using?” Harry asked.

 

“I kept trying to focus on my childhood, when I played with mother in the grounds. But everytime I thought of that, my mind kept wandering to the sight and sound of her being tortured, punished for father’s mistakes.”

 

“Draco. You need something more powerful. The happiest moment of your life. Don’t tell me you can’t think of anything better than that.”

 

“I… I can think of one more thing,” Draco whispered. He wasn’t sure if it would work though.

 

“Then try it.”

 

“Here?”

 

“Where else. Stand up, draw your wand.”

 

As if on autopilot, Draco followed Harry’s instructions.

 

“Now focus on your memory. Let it fill you up. Feel the happiness you felt when you were living it.”

 

Draco closed his eyes, and focused on the sound of Harry’s voice encouraging him. Those soft, sweet lips, coaching him so gently, and those emerald eyes, with not an ounce of judgement to be found. Harry never judged him. For anything.

 

“Expecto Patronum!” Draco cried. He almost fell back when a silver figure burst out of the tip of his wand.

 

“You did it!” Harry cried happily, rushing around the figure and sweeping Draco into a searing kiss. Draco pulled back a moment later as the shock wore off and the pride started to tug at his heart.

 

“I did it,” he whispered gleefully, a smile spreading across his face as he reached out to pet his Kraken.

 

“I can’t wait for you to show everyone else,” Harry murmured. 

 

Draco laughed, imagining Teddy and Arman’s shocked faces next time they barged into his training room.

 

“Narwhal versus Dolphin, part four: Revenge of the Kraken.”


End file.
